Get inspired with Khalid Al Quod.

Get inspired with Khalid Al Quod.

(Chairman, Bahrain Corporate Social Responsibility Society (BCSRS), District 20 Governor at District 20 - Toastmasters International, USA, General Manager at Prince Events Management)

Hellobahrain.com: So young, yet considered a leader by people of all age groups, what in your opinion is your success secret? What is the one motto that you live by?

1. How You Think is Everything.

Always be positive. Think Success, not Failure. Beware of a negative environment.

This trait has to be one of the most important in the entire list. Your belief that you can accomplish your goals has to be unwavering. The moment you say to yourself “I can’t…”, then you won’t. I was always given the advice “never say I can’t” and I’d like to strike those words from the dictionary.

I’ve found that from time-to-time my attitude waivers. A mentor of mine once said, “it’s ok to visit pity city, but you can’t stay and there comes a time when you need to leave”. Positive things happen to positive people.

2. Decide upon Your True Dreams and Goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

Write down my dreams and goals? Develop a plan to reach them? You mean like a project plan? Yes, that’s exactly what this means. You may have heard the old adage: A New Years resolution that isn’t written down is just a dream, and dreams are not goals.

Goals are those concrete, measurable stepping stones of achievement that track your progress towards your dreams. My goal is to start a second career as a freelance writer – what are your goals?

3. Take Action. Goals are nothing without action.

Be like Nike and “Just do it”. I took action by reaching out and started writing. Every day I try to take some action towards my goals. It may be small, but it’s still an action. Have you taken action towards your goals?

4. Never Stop Learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training & acquire skills.

Becoming a life long learner would benefit us all and is something we should instill in our kids. It’s funny that once you’re out of school you realize how enjoyable learning can be. What have you learned today?

5. Be Persistent and Work Hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

I think every story of success I read entails long hard hours of work. There is no getting around this and there is no free lunch. But, if you’re working towards something that you’re passionate about, something you love – then is it really work?

6. Learn to Analyze Details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

I think you have to strike a balance between getting all the facts and making a decision with incomplete data – both are traits of successful people. Spend time gathering details, but don’t catch ‘analysis paralysis’.

7. Focus Your Time And Money: Don’t let other people or things distract you.

Remain laser focused on your goals and surround yourself with positive people that believe in you. Don’t be distracted by the naysayer’s or tasks that are not helping you achieve your goals.

8. Don’t Be Afraid To Innovate: Be different. Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

Follow through on that break-out idea you have. Ask yourself “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”

9. Deal And Communicate With People Effectively: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

Successful people develop and nurture a network and they only do that by treating people openly, fairly and many times firmly. There is nothing wrong about being firm – just don’t cross the a-hole line. How do you deal with people?

10. Be Honest And Dependable: Take responsibility, otherwise numbers 1 – 9 won’t matter.

 My Motto:  If you feel small and worthless, do something great — help someone in need.

Hellobahrian.com:  As part of activities of BCSRS, you’ve mentored groups like Youth+, what motivates you to that?

- In youth+ or when we started Youth+ we believed in the following points.

1: COMMUNICATE!

Communication is key when it comes to empowering youth. If you don't have the best communication skills you will find it difficult to get along with teens. They can be difficult to communicate with and it may be necessary for you to learn to simply ask questions and just listen to them; rather than you telling them what they need to do. Youth do not like being told what to do; and proper communication skills can really teach them to come up with the solutions to their own problems.

2: Be open-minded

I'm sure most of us can relate to having parents that didn't agree with the music we chose to listen to; or the friends we chose to hang out with. How did that make you feel? By being open-minded and receptive to new ideas we are more likely to be in touch with the youth in our life and they will be more likely to come to us with issues they might be having. Although it may be difficult to keep that open mind sometimes; remember, the world is always changing, and if we want a say in the future, we must remain open.

3: Be strong

Youth empowerment; as mentioned earlier can be extremely challenging. You will discover roadblocks, you will come across arguments and disagreements and you may not be able to get through to the youth you are working with. Above all, you must remain strong. The youth will be looking up to you; and to appear weak will only push them farther away from you. Being a role model requires inner strength; so be sure to have it. You want to be clear on your boundaries from the very beginning; and enforce those boundaries.

4: Be active

Although it may seem that youth only want to watch TV and play video games; it is important to get them active in something. Some teens may not want to get involved in sports but there are certainly activities out there that can engage them. Join them for walks in the park, play a game of Frisbee, or even play a Wii game that requires movement. Simply getting youth off the couch and moving will serve to empower them and get their creative juices flowing. Creative juice equals empowered youth.

5: Have a sense of humor

Above all, laugh. Laughter really is the best medicine and is also the fastest way to create a bond with another person. Be able to laugh at yourself and create an environment that encourages fun. Not only will this make it more fun for you; but the youth you're working with will be encouraged to open up even more.

Working with youth can be a challenging undertaking; however, when you see youth empowerment in fruition, it is most rewarding!

Hellobahrain.com: How has Toastmasters helped you on your journey?

Benefits of Toastmasters:

Toastmasters offers a terrific opportunity to improve both your speaking skills and your confidence in dealing with a variety of situations.  Toastmasters gives you the opportunity to learn how to speak in public in a mutually supportive atmosphere in which you will develop confidence and assertiveness.

• By participating in Toastmasters, you can realize dramatic improvements in many areas of your life:At work, your communication with employer and associates will become more effective and productive.
• At home, interactions with family and friends will be easier, more enjoyable, and more fulfilling.
• In your community, you will become more effective in getting things said, planned, and done.

Hellobahrain.com:      How was your childhood, school, college and beyond?

- Smooth like a silk and that’s all because of the family and good friends support

Hellobahrain.com: Your job at Yousuf Bin ahmed Kanoo, Prince events, District Governor, how do juggle all of these and still find time for yourself?

-It’s all about Time Management and the benefits of time management which are:

1. Control: Proper time management allows you to take some measure of control over your life. By pre-planning your activities you help your days to become ordered. Things come up and you may be forced to change your plan at times, but for the most part, knowing exactly what you need to achieve each day and having a plan to ensure that these things get done, will help you be more in control of your destiny.

2. Productivity: Proper time management allows you to be more productive. When you don’t properly manage your time, you often have too many activities and not enough day. Time gets away from you. To counteract this, write down what you need to get done and allocate a definite and realistic period of time to achieve it. When the time period is up for each activity, move on. Doing this will mean that you at least get some things finished and have moved towards completing the other activities.

3. Confidence: Proper time management gives you confidence. This is partly because you have taken back control of your life. Checking things off your to-do-list will cause your confidence to soar as you realize that you can finish what you start. As your accomplishments grow so will your confidence.

4. Fun: Proper time management allows you to have more time for fun. By prioritizing and getting the most important and pressing things done first, you then have time to do the things you really want to do. This might be a favorite hobby, going dancing, enjoying time with your family, or simply resting.

5. Ability to Meet Goals: Another one of the benefits of time management is the ability to meet your goals. It is nearly impossible to meet your goals when you fail to properly manage your time. This is because you never get around to doing what needs to be done in order to achieve the goals you've set for yourself. Something always comes up, or you spend too much time on frivolous tasks, eating away time that should go toward meeting your goals.

The benefits of time management are pretty obvious. Deciding what needs to be done, prioritizing your tasks, and then following through is a way of giving yourself the greatest chance of reaching your goals, taking back control of your life, having some fun and building confidence. 

Hellobahrain.com : Of all the hats you wear, which has been the most rewarding?

-All was great specially when the result is what you aim 

Hellobahrain.com: What are your resolutions for the new year?

-Building a batter generation of young leaders 

Hellobahrain.com:  What next? Tell us about your future plans?

- I’m in the process of publishing a book and more details about the book will be giving by May next year